All in Order 

Precision Planning is key in family bathrooms 

The family bathroom is far from the poor cousin when it comes to design. As it is the main bathroom in the house, it is important to think about style as well as functionality, creating a space where everyone in the family feels at home. However it is best to avoid making too many concessions to children’s style when it comes to fixtures and fittings.

Instead focus on aspects you can easily change, such as removable wall stickers, and introduce fun with towels and accessories. Consider giving each child a designated – colour towel, toothbrush and dressing gown to avoid a confusing scrum before bedtime. A row of hooks with each child’s initial is a nice touch, as are colour coded canvas bags for bath toys.

Of course, not all family-friendly bathrooms will be catering for the young. Provide ample storage if possible if there are teens in the home, and easy –use fittings for the elderly.

Mission Control 

Family bathrooms have a practical role so need to be efficiently designed to cope with the different needs of a range of generations. If you have the space think double – a separate bath and shower will speed things up, while twin or extra wide basins are ideal for children’s teeth brushing. Allow ample access to the bath to facilitate supervision of younger family members of the family. But also remember if this room serves as a guest bathroom too, to think about how easy it is to get in and out of the bath if you have older relatives staying.

If space is at a premium, an over-bath shower is the ideal solution. Make sure if using a glass shower screen it is sufficiently wide to keep the shower spray contained.

Good, well-ordered storage is essential and will help keep the chaos of multiple toiletries and towels under control. A laundry bin in or near the bathroom will encourage children to take responsibility for dirty clothes at the end of the day. Materials should be hardy, splash-proof and easy to keep clean though in constant use, while a generously sized radiator with hanging above or a heated towel rail will eliminate mountains of damp towels.